The biggest get of the day, in terms of surprise, was quarterback Micah Thomas from Houston. Air Force had recruited him as a quarterback, the position he wanted to play, but the idea of playing with the Utes and getting at least a chance to show what he can do at quarterback was enough to sway Thomas into signing with Utah.

He is the third quarterback in the class, joining Conner Manning out of Lake Forest, Calif., and Brandon Cox, a quarterback out of Pasadena, Calif., who has enrolled.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said the line, quarterback and running back were all priority areas the Utes addressed.

"I know we helped ourselves with size and speed," he said. "Size meaning height and length. We signed a bunch of 6-foot-4, 6-5 guys with big wing spans and frames and then we got speed, particularly at running back and defensive back."

While Utah's class ranked only tied for eighth in the Pac-12 according to Rivals.com, Whittingham said he wasn't concerned with such ratings.

"The NFL is full of guys who were not highly recruited or five-star guys," he said. "It comes down to evaluations more than anything else and our own skills and projecting where you think the guy will be down the road."

Remember all the issues Utah had with depth along the offensive line in 2012? Utah made a push to resolve that problem, signing a host of offensive and defensive linemen.

Andrew Albers, an offensive lineman out of Orange Coast Community College, finally made his way to Utah. He originally signed with the Utes as a high school player, then attended junior college.

He should make an immediate impact, as should lineman Sese Ianu (Golden West College) and the Euless, Texas, trio of Salesi Uhatafe, Keio Vaenuku and Sam Tevi.

The running back class is the largest the Utes have signed under Whittingham, with Devontae Booker out of American River College; Troy McCormick out of Houston; Marcus Williams out of Las Vegas; and Dre'Vian Young out of Houston all signing letters of intent.

Booker in particular should compete for playing time right away.

"We think he is in the same mold as other guys like John White who have come in," Whittingham said. "Kelvin York right now is penciled in as the primary ball carrier, but we want Booker to come in and be a good supplement to Kelvin."

The Utes also added two tight ends and two receivers. The receivers, 6-foot-3 Andre Lewis out of Diablo Valley College and X'avier Shepherd out of Lakewood Calif., could contribute right away.

Shepherd missed five games his senior year due to an ankle injury and finished with just 285 yards, but was still a highly recruited athlete after his junior year, in which he had 31 receptions for 472 yards and six touchdowns.Utah loaded up on Texas players, signing the three Trinity High School athletes as well as four others from the state. California was another hot spot, with 11 players.

Early enrollee Uaea Masina (Brighton H.S.), tight end Harrison Handley (Alta) and linebacker Filipo Mokofisi (Woods Cross) represent the local players who signed with the Utes.

The only disappointment for the Utes on Wednesday was corner Marcellus Pippins' decision to go with Washington State instead of sticking to his commitment to the Utes.

Leroy Sitake Tanoai, an offensive lineman out of Sherman Oaks, Calif., and Lowell Lotulelei, a defensive tackle out of Bingham H.S., are committed to Utah but are going on missions before enrolling and therefore aren't a part of the 2013 class.

Lineman Derek Tuimauga, who lettered in 2009 before going on a mission, returns for the 2013 season.

Whittingham also announced fullbacks/tight ends coach Ilaisa Tuiaki has been moved to the defensive line to make way for the hiring of an offensive coach, a hiring that could be announced as soon as Thursday, he said. Former ASU coach Dennis Erickson interviewed with Whittingham on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

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